These Two Hearts
by Asherstonn
Summary: After her encounter with the Charming family, Regina is crushed and flees the scene; only to find something peculiar on the shores of Storybrooke...


"There is no way Henry will swallow your lies about Archie now. You can pretend all you want, but we know how you are, and who you will always be!"

The malicious smile fell from Regina's face at that moment. Many times she had been accused of murder and other heinous crimes, but is was different this time; this time, she was completely innocent. She looked up at Emma, gleaning in her victory, and suddenly felt herself begin to fall apart. She needed to get as far away from them as possible, so she threw her hands up as a dark purple cloud billowed up from her feet, allowing her to vanish with the least bit of pride she still had left. Emma, Snow and Charming exchanged worried glances as they looked over to the Blue Fairy for help; but the only thing she could offer was a half-hearted smile.

The cloud of smoke slowly dissipated as Regina stood on the boat dock with her head hanging low, gazing into the water. As she allowed the tears to fall, they sent ripples through the water, distorting her reflection. Her chest began to shudder as the sobs forced their way out, leaving her breathless as she buried her face in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she swiped her fingers under eyes trying to clear away the tears, but it was no use; the tears weren't stopping any time soon. She looked back into the water, seeing her reflection as the water began to settle. She couldn't stand to see herself like this, to see how weak she had let herself become; so she flicked her wrist, sending a rock flying straight into the middle of her silhouette in the murky water.

Regina turned away quickly and began walking; she wasn't sure where she was going, but she couldn't stay there. She felt like she needed to do something, something to keep Henry from the lie that she had killed the cricket; but her hopes were crushed by the overwhelming feeling of defeat that practically knocked her from her feet as Emma's statement echoed through her mind again.

Slowly pacing down the beach, her mind drifted. Thoughts of Henry ran through her mind, tormenting her. She could see his face begin to contort in agony as Emma broke the news to him; see his disappointment and sadness because he thought she had betrayed him, when all she wanted was to prove to him that he wasn't just some part of the curse that had plagued all of them for so many years. She wanted to show him that she truly did love him.

She quickly wiped away the tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks once again, and she began to wonder if they would ever stop. Holding them in for so many years was finally catching up with her. Never had she felt as broken as this very moment, except for the night so many years ago when her mother had ripped Daniel's heart out. Giving in to her better judgment, she gave up on holding anything else in and let out an agonizing cry that echoed across the open ocean. The tears were streaming from her eyes at this point, which kept her from seeing a person laying on the sand until she practically stepped on them.

"Oh!" She exclaimed as her hand covered her mouth; she hadn't expected to see anyone here. Putting some space between them, Regina took a few paces backward. Noticing that he wasn't moving, she leaned over slightly to catch a glimpse of who it might be. She could tell that it was a man, but since he was face down on the ground she would have to get up close and personal to find out exactly who it was.

She circled around the mystery man, evaluating every detail of the situation to make sure it wasn't a trap. Seeing nothing suspicious, she now felt obligated to help him. Shrugging her coat off of her shoulders, she tossed her coat away before kneeling down on the ground, rolling her sleeves up to her elbows.  
Placing her hand on his back, Regina gently shook him, "Hello? Are you okay?" She shook a bit more vigorously, continuing to attempt to get a response. When nothing seemed to happen, she placed her middle and index finger on his neck, feeling a lethargic, faint pulse beating against her skin. She stood up quickly and darted to the other side of him and began to roll his limp body over to his back to do CPR; it was clear he had obviously been rendered unconscious from being underwater.

As she tugged on his shoulder, his body slowly turned over and splashed a bit of water as he smacked the wet sand. "Ouch!" She exclaimed, attempting to clear the small bit of salt water that had splashed into her eyes. Blinking profusely, she opened her eyes as widely as they would open then looked down to him, her vision still being a bit blurred. She pulled her sleeve down and devoutly rubbed her eyes, attempting to get them to readjust. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, then opened them to find that her vision was, so she was back to the task at hand. Placing her hand on the man's chest, she looked up to his face and her jaw dropped. "Daniel?" she whispered, closing her eyes tightly again to make sure her eyes weren't fooling her. But when she opened them again, he was still there. She then went practically into a frenzy and started giving him chest compressions, all the while repeating his name over and over again.

The compressions were seemingly having no effect on him so she sat back on her heels for a moment before she got an idea. She tucked her hair back behind her ears before she leaned down to him, tenderly pressing her lips against his. As soon as their lips met, his eyes sprang open, gulping in a deep breath of air.

"Daniel?!" she exclaimed, cradling his face in her hands.

"Regina?" He had a puzzled expression on his face as he looked into her eyes for a moment, but in the next moment, he shot up to his knees and wrapped his arms around her as tears began to stream down both of their faces.

Regina's body shuddered with sobs as she held him tightly, feeling as though he would surely disappear if she let him go. She finally pulled back a bit, still keeping her hands wrapped around his waist. "Daniel," she stated, her mouth curling up into a girlish smile, "It's really you this time, isn't it?" She placed her hand on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat against her hand.

Daniel brushed a piece of hair from her face as he let out a half-hearted chuckle, "Yes Regina, it's me." He then cradled her face in his calloused hands as he looked deeply into her eyes. Pulling her closer to him, he grazed his lips across hers before planting another peck on her forehead. "I've missed you, my love."

A giggle escaped her lips as she looked toward the ground coyly, unable to hide the joy from her face. Bringing her gaze back to meet his, her demeanor changed to something more serious. "Daniel, what happened to you? In the stables? I thought I made you disappear so you wouldn't feel the pain anymore... But now you're here. Not that I have any qualms with it... But how?"

Daniel shrugged, "I don't know. One moment I was in agony standing there with you in the stable, and the next, I was on some fisherman's boat floating out in the middle of the ocean. And not a very sturdy boat, I might add!"  
Regina looked away from him momentarily, puzzled. "Magic really does work differently in this realm..." she muttered quietly.

Daniel began to pull himself to his feet, helping pull Regina to her feet as well. "Wait... Magic?" he asked quizzically, "You used magic?" He began to trace back his memories to that day in the unfamiliar stables, which was rather difficult as his thoughts during that time were rather muddled, and began to replay the scene in his mind the best he could. He remembered Regina putting her hand up, immobilizing him, then waving her hand in front of him just before he disappeared from that place. "You used magic." he stated matter-of-factly.

Regina's mouth dropped open slightly as she back slowly away from him, his hands slowly slipping out of hers. "I-I-" she stammered as tears filled her eyes. Of all the times she had imagined reuniting with her one true love, she had never imagined what it would be like to tell him about all the horrible things she had done, the people she had hurt... the person she had become. Her bottom lip began to quiver before she collapsed to the ground her face buried in her hands as the tears began to fall once again. She couldn't bear to see the disappointment on his face when she had to tell him everything that had happened since her mother had ripped his heart out.

"Regina..." he started in a soft, soothing voice, "It's okay, Regina. There is nothing you could do to make me love you any less." He wrapped his hands around her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face. "Look at me, Regina," his tone demanding her attention.

She took another deep breath and exhaled heavily before she lifted her eyes to meet his. "Daniel," she started, "You have no idea what has happened since... The things I've done... I can't..."

Daniel brushed a single finger across her lips, "Shhh..." he whispered, "You don't have to tell me until you're ready."

Her eyes lit up and she was even able to muster a smile as she tangled her fingers in his. "Daniel..." she whispered.

"What is it?"

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, "I love you."


End file.
